what did garrett morgan invent
Garrett Morgan is best known for inventing an early gas mask–style “safety hood” and an improved three‑position traffic signal, and he also created one of the first widely marketed chemical hair straighteners.
Quick Scoop: What Did Garrett Morgan Invent?
- A safety hood that became a prototype for the World War I gas mask.
- A three‑position traffic signal (stop, go, and a warning phase), a key step toward the modern three‑light traffic light.
- A chemical hair‑straightening cream and related hair‑care tools, sold through his G.A. Morgan Hair Refining Company.
- A later self‑extinguishing cigarette concept with a water‑filled capsule before the filter.
Mini Timeline of His Major Inventions
- Hair‑straightening cream (around 1909–1910)
- Discovered while experimenting with a chemical solution to reduce friction on sewing‑machine needles in his tailoring shop.
* Noticed the solution straightened the “hairs” of scorched wool, then carefully tested on a dog and on himself, leading to a commercial hair‑refining cream and a line of grooming products.
- Safety hood (patented 1914)
- Designed a hood with hoses and a low‑hanging air intake tube so wearers could breathe the cleaner air closer to the ground in smoke‑filled environments.
* Marketed to fire departments and dramatically proved its value during a 1916 tunnel explosion under Lake Erie, where Morgan used the hood to rescue trapped workers.
- Three‑position traffic signal (patent 1923)
- Added a warning phase between “go” and “stop” to reduce collisions at busy intersections, a major step toward the modern three‑light system.
* Patented in the U.S., Britain, and Canada, then sold the rights to General Electric for about 40,000 dollars (equivalent to several hundred thousand today).
- Self‑extinguishing cigarette (late career)
- Included a small water‑filled plastic pellet placed before the filter so the cigarette would automatically go out, aiming to reduce fire risk.
Why People Still Ask “What Did Garrett Morgan Invent?” Today
Garrett Morgan’s inventions cut across three big areas that still matter now: workplace safety (gas‑mask prototype), everyday road safety (traffic signal), and personal style and grooming (hair‑straightening products). In recent years, Black History Month features, transportation‑safety retrospectives, and online forums have spotlighted him as a pioneering Black inventor whose work saved lives yet was under‑recognized in his own time, which is why questions like “what did Garrett Morgan invent” keep trending whenever his story resurfaces.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.